Katy Trail Home  The Katy Trail and Rock Island Trail Rock Island Trail Home

Reply to Opening/Fisnished Dates


Cancel and Return to Forum
Scroll down to see the discussion
All submissions are reviewed for appropriateness. We reserve the right to remove or edit any comment that we consider incorrect, misleading, or inappropriate, at our sole discretion. Please remember that this is a family-friendly website.
Subject:
Reply to Opening/Fisnished Dates
Your Name:

This does not have to be your real name. It could be a "screen name", your initials, or just leave blank.
Your Hometown:

Optional - it's just interesting to know where people are from
Email Address
Comment:
So we know you are a human, please answer this easy math quiz:
1 + 4 =
John Nettles, KAMO Coordinator from Tulsa on 12/23/2019 9:21:25 PM:
The KAMO Bicycle Touring Group is contemplating doing parts of the RI & KT for its annual spring tour. While I have read all the MO SP Temp closures, Trail conditions, etc., I can't find an estimated finish date for the currently closed sections along the trail. Does anyone know if the KT will be completely repaired by May 15, 2020? Tailwinds, John. P.S. Feel free to join the KAMO Bicycle Touring Group on Facebook if you want to join your fellow touring cyclists from KS, AR, MO, & OK on tours.

 
bikerdudette from Wentzville on 12/27/2019 6:40:53 AM:
Good question! I walk dogs out of Hermann on the Katy and there is one bridge by 94 that they have closed. Fortunately I can walk right around it. In all honestly the bridge looks fine, can't see anything that makes me think me and my dogs could knock it over. Same w/Rocheport bridge. I have seen no signs of any work being done on either. The Rocheport bridge really puts a damper on thru trips. Not to mention B&B business. I plan to do a thru Fall trip in 2020. Anyone have alternative to getting around Rocheport bridge besides riding on the HWY? I think that is the only real obstacle you will run in to on a thru trip. I think most other things you can get around, or are small enough they will be fixed (I hope) by next Spring.

 
Mark Pace from Independence on 12/27/2019 7:15:16 PM:
The Rocheport bridge over Moniteau Creek (AND the tunnel) are now both finally open, with the trail surface in great shape. Rode across both yesterday. There are still signs on the east approach of the bridge that warn "bridge out" but the bridge is wide open, with all the barriers and 'no trespassing' signs removed.

 
bikerdudette from Wentzville on 12/28/2019 6:34:45 AM:
OH wonderful! Thank you Mark!

 
Karen C. from Harrisburg, MO on 12/30/2019 7:07:02 AM:
Three of us rode West of Rocheport yesterday (December 29th) and that bridge is still out. You can ride about 3 miles beyond the tunnel before you come to the barrier. Big pile of debris...wide gap where the creek is running through...part of the bridge that was pushed off the pilings, etc. So for now the 'work-a-round' would still be the highway out of Rocheport.

I am glad to hear about the areas that are being rebuilt! Slowly but surely!

 
Allen from Shawnee on 12/30/2019 12:38:57 PM:
Pretty sure two different bridges are being discussed in this thread. The Moniteau creek bridge is close to the tunnel in Rocheport. The bridge further west that is still out is over Salt creek, this is the one causing the detour now. This bridge is close to where 40 hiway crosses over the Katy trail.

 
Mark Pace from Independence on 12/30/2019 7:39:32 PM:
Yes, the Salt Creek bridge near mile #181 was blown off its moorings in Spring of 2019, and the creek itself eroded much wider there.
Do not know, but hope that MAY get reconnected (at some fairly great expense) in 2020.
Until then, New Franklin-Rocheport trail users will still need to detour on 40 HWY -- and in that case, the tunnel and the Moniteau Creek bridge are just missed, unless you backtrack just 1/8 mile or so each way to ride thru the tunnel (probably well worth it! IMO.) I think I read on this forum that the auto bridge (the detour) is also slated for replacement fairly soon.
You can see photos of the Salt Creek bridge disaster here:
https://bikekatytrail.com/trail-condition-report.aspx

 
bikerdudette from Wentzville on 1/1/2020 6:45:37 AM:
Thanks for letting me/everyone know about the bridges. That sure puts a damper on things. Hope they have rebuilding Salt Creek Bridge as their priority!

 
Jerry Whittle from Belleville Illinois on 1/1/2020 2:33:10 PM:
Here's a couple of links of how to bypass that problem area without using Hwy 40. Evidently the bypass has gravel roads on it

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/30955310

https://mobikefed.org/2019/12/flooding-closes-katy-trail-section-west-rocheport-indefinitely-here-better-more-scenic-low?fbclid=IwAR0FIz8B8fbYVJ2faEwMezouIYsz98zMgTzDje0_Wpk6w-r84lUZ8vCixVc

The Summer 2019 floods severely damaged a bridge west of Rocheport and the Rocheport Tunnel.

Upshot is, a four-mile section of the Katy Trail west of Moniteau Creek (which is just on the west side of Rocheport, near the Rocheport Tunnel) is closed indefinitely.

The recommended detour is to take 240 north out of Rocheport, then Hwy 40 west to Salt Creek, where you can re-join the Katy Trail.

That is a feasible bypass--but Hwy 40 has no shoulders and is growing ever-busier. The route includes a big, slow climb up the Missouri River Bluffs.

So is there a better route? If you don't mind riding on some gravel roads and seeing some AMAZING scenery and area history, the answer is a resounding yes.

The alternate route takes you through Diana Bend Conservation area (side trip to the Moniteau Bluffs overview possible) and the amazing Davisdale Conservation area.

When we rode the route to check it out in Fall 2019, we saw exactly one motor vehicle on the entire route.

It's worth a look--and passes right by some beautiful camp sites, too.

Check it out:

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/30955310

The route does have about 560 feet more climbing than the Hwy 40 option, but it is only about 1/10th mile longer.

The first 2/3 of a mile north from Rocheport is on a paved minor state highway; the remainder is on low traffic, scenic county gravel roads. The surface on the county gravel roads is generally just slightly lower-quality than the soft-surface Katy Trail.

If you would like to compare with the State Parks recommended detour on Hwy 40, here is that detour:

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/30955310

Link: Flooding closes Katy Trail section west of Rocheport indefinitely--here is a BETTER, more scenic, low-traffic Katy Trail detour for that section - MoBikeFed

 
bikerdudette from Wentzville on 1/2/2020 7:00:23 AM:
Thank you Jerry! I am going to look at your routes here. We do not want to get on highways! Am hoping they will replace the bridge and open the trail by next Fall, but nice to know we have a safe detour. Thank you.

 
Bill in Houston from Houston on 1/2/2020 3:14:04 PM:
Jerry Whittle, that looks like a great ride-around. Thanks!

That Salt Creek washout looked like it was going to take a long time to fix.

 
New2Touring on 2/11/2020 4:03:40 PM:
Anyone know how close to the washed out Salt Creek bridge you can actually get from the east? It sounds like you can go through the tunnel from Rocheport and most of the way.

What I'm wondering is if it might be possible to take the trail until it becomes impassible then bush whack 200-300 feet up to catch US40 just east of its bridge. There's actually a bit of what looks like an old service road or previous highway alignment in the weeds on the south there for a bit. Then after crossing the creek on the US40 bridge, get back on the cement pads again visible to the south and apparently being used for farm stuff and take those the short distance and cross north where the official detour rejoins the Katy at the Davisdale parking.

It looks so tempting on a satellite view from an armchair 1000 miles away - if it worked it would mean only being on US40 for the bridge itself.

But I'm not sure I'd actually ride the three or so miles out to try it with a touring loadout, only to find I had to turn back and still do the official detour or the gravel one.

 
Bill in Houston from Houston on 2/12/2020 2:43:30 PM:
I looked at a little bit of a bushwhack in that area when we rode last April. The undergrowth was really thick. Getting a loaded bike through would have been pretty terrible. I'd ride the gravel route instead.